Yesterday, while walking two short blocks from the subway to my apartment, I saw a female traffic agent checking parked cars on Amsterdam Avenue. She passed an idling car without a word and without issuing a ticket.

I stopped her and asked her why she didn't issue a ticket to the driver. She said, "I am not confident writing an idling ticket. I have never written one. Besides, I would have to wait 3 minutes."

I protested. She called her superior on her cell phone and asked him to come to the scene. He arrived one minute after the idling car drove away.

The supervisor said "I will instruct the young traffic agent 'how to write' an idling ticket" and for me be assured tickets would be written in the future.

We shook hands. I went home to run three miles in the pure air of Central Park... free of co2.